Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  My eyes widened, and Haylee shrugged. “Josh had a lot of critical things happening today and was under enough stress already. She was content to wait until everything was resolved.”

  Oh, shit. Brian and I shared a look that conveyed our mutual horror that we were partially to blame.

  But Josh played it off. “I think it’s only appropriate, considering we’d like to ask you two to be the godparents of our little angel. Later we can tell her this story of the last twenty-four hours. I’d like to leave out the fact that on the day she was born both of you resigned, however.”

  Shocked at the request, I looked toward Haylee, who was smiling.

  Josh handed the baby over to an equally stunned Brian.

  I swallowed past the lump of emotion in my throat. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Josh chuckled. “It would help if you both said yes.”

  Brian looked down into Abigail’s face and in a baby-soft voice that had us all grinning said, “You drive a hard bargain, little Abby. Of course the answer is yes, and I officially withdraw my letter of resignation.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’m honored. I brushed my fingertips over her downy hair. “And since Brian isn’t resigning, I guess I’m not, either.”

  Josh was all smiles. “We may be setting a serious precedent in Abby getting her way, but I think it’s worth it.”

  Abigail started to fuss, and Brian was quick to hand her back to Haylee.

  He turned toward me, taking my hand. “You ready?”

  I nodded, and we both offered our congratulations one last time.

  Josh patted his friend on the back and walked us out. “Hopefully, you guys are ordering pizza tonight?”

  I was totally lost as to why he’d ask this random question, but Brian chuckled.

  “Uh, yeah, definitely,” he replied, grinning.

  ***

  In the cab I looked at him. “What was with the pizza thing?”

  He laughed. “It’s code from college that was basically asking if we’d worked things out.”

  “You had a code in college for working things out?’”

  “Uh, well it was more for getting lucky, but times have changed.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” I covered my face with my hands, embarrassed.

  He peeled them down into his own hands. “Come on. It was his way of making sure we’re good.”

  I shook my head. “He’s my boss’s boss.”

  He kissed my hand. “And you’re the godmother of his daughter and friends with his wife. Welcome to the world of personal and professional blurred lines. Plus if you were choosing something to be self-conscious about, I’d think it would be the fact that now he knows you were the girl he provided me period advice for.”

  I wanted to die a thousand deaths in that moment. Words failed me.

  In front of my condo building, he helped me out of the car and quipped, “Honey, I did warn you I’m terribly flawed.”

  I giggled and realized I was undeniably in love with this man. “Are there any more faults I should know about? Maybe we can declare this Amnesty Monday and get them all out of the way.”

  We walked onto the elevator, and he pulled me into his embrace. Searching my face, he wore a thoughtful expression. “In the spirit of full disclosure, you should know that I’ve been trying to get you to fall in love with me this whole time.”

  “For eight years?”

  He looked a little nervous to tell me. “I dreamed about it for eight, but you should know the rules were only for us.”

  “But you said you’ve done other arrangements like this.”

  “Sort of, but the rules were like, ‘no sex at my actual house’ or hard limits for sex. Yours were to get you to stay with me.” We went through my front door, and he seemed to be bracing himself for my reaction.

  “What else?” I kept my expression neutral.

  He hesitated. “I may have used sex a time or two to get my way.”

  I smiled. “Oh, I’m quite aware of your methods, Brian Carpenter. But realizing you went to all that trouble to get me to fall in love with you only makes me love you more.” I kicked off my heels while watching him slip out of his shoes.

  “I love hearing those words from you. And in the spirit of this Amnesty Monday, you should probably know my dirty little secret: I like hockey more than football.”

  “You can’t possibly mean that.” I clutched my chest as though it hurt my heart. Then my hands moved to the buttons on his shirt, impatient to touch him.

  “I’m afraid it’s true, but I’ve recently had incentive to pay more attention to football. I need to ask you something about what you told me on Saturday.”

  “Ask me anything.” For the first time, I sincerely meant it. There wasn’t a part of me, either good or bad that I didn’t want to share with this man. It was such a relief to be honest about it all.

  “Do you really throw up before every pitch?”

  My hands held his face. “I do, but please don’t ever ask me if I’m anxious. Think of it as my pre-game ritual before I take the field and get into the zone.” I slid the shirt down his arms and lifted his T-shirt over his head.

  His fingers reached around and unzipped my skirt, allowing it to pool at my feet. He paused while unbuttoning my blouse. “Oh, I thought of something else. You should know I have a mild aversion to spiders.”

  I helped him with the last button. “I already knew that. Juliette made fun of you one day. Said you screamed like a girl, and she had to get it from your office.”

  He lifted me up in his arms and lay me on the bed. “It was humiliating,” he muttered.

  I could hardly concentrate when he unfastened my bra and lowered his head, taking a nipple between his teeth. My back arched in response. “Don’t worry, I’ll kill the spiders for you. But since we’re disclosing all, you should know I’m a little tone-deaf. So don’t expect karaoke ever.”

  He met my eyes, and I wondered how I could’ve missed the way his adoration was reflected in them. “I love you, Sasha, but I’ve heard you humming along to a song and know without a doubt you are not a little tone-deaf, you are completely tone-deaf.” His fingers hooked in my panties and tugged them down.

  I laughed. “Oh, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of high maintenance.”

  “I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love that you’re high maintenance.”

  “Ha, you say that now, but no judging when in a few years I start getting Botox or some kind of Asian mud mask to keep wrinkles at bay.” My hands worked his boxers off while his fingers found my slick entrance.

  “You’re already perfect in my eyes. I’m good with whatever you want, although I’m not a fan of you going under the knife. By the way, I tell people I’m allergic to caviar, but really I can’t stand it.”

  I gasped when he replaced his fingers with his hardened length, feeding it into me slowly until he filled me completely. “I like ketchup on my tacos.”

  He completely froze and looked down into my face. “That is absolutely the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,” he deadpanned.

  Giggling in response, I arched my hips, wanting him to move. “What? It’s made with tomatoes and is practically like salsa.”

  He shook his head. “Nice try, but it is so-o-o not like salsa. I think I may have lost my erection, honey.”

  “Ha, you definitely did not.” He was hard as ever. “That’s the deal breaker out of everything?” I gripped his muscled backside and welcomed him deeper into me.

  He grunted his pleasure and then moved with long, slow strokes. “There is no deal breaker, Sasha. I’m in this for the long run even if that means I will never eat Mexican food with you.”

  He sealed his declaration with a scorching kiss, bringing me to orgasm quickly.

  “I have a request,” I murmured, coming down off the high of my climax.

  “I would expect nothing less, being as high maintenance as you are, but hold that thought for a few mi
nutes.”

  Vocalizing my displeasure in him pulling out with a groan, I was pleased he wasn’t done yet. He moved me to the edge of the bed, threw my ankles over his shoulders and took me deep on one stroke. He moved hard and fast, hitting the very end of me. After his orgasm hit, he brought me to another one of my own. Moving us both to the center of the bed, we lay there, panting for breath, naked, and entwined with one another.

  “What’s your request?” he asked, snuggling me into him.

  “I think we need to see one another more often than once every two weeks.”

  “How do you propose we do that?”

  I trailed a finger down his chest. “Josh is going to create a position for someone to head a client presentation team. I’m going to take the job and move down to Charlotte. Did I forget to mention that?”

  His expression was priceless. “You’re serious?”

  “Very. I need to work out the details, but he did say I could pick which office I’d work out of. But you do know the more time we spend together, the more we may need to invoke rule number one.”

  “I may start picking fights on purpose just to ensure that.” He pinched my backside mischievously. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “What do you think about being my girlfriend again? I promise I’ll wait at least forty-eight hours before screwing something up this time.”

  I didn’t hesitate. “No.”

  He sat up, looking surprised. “I was kidding about the last part. I think I could go at least a week.”

  My lips twitched. “I said no because I don’t need to think about it. You’re my best friend and make me happier than I’ve ever been. And when we’re apart, I don’t just miss you. I physically ache for you, can’t stop thinking about you, and count the minutes until I get to see you again.”

  “Wow, you, uh win for the best I miss you—that was definitely worth the wait.” He kissed me deeply, pulling me into him.

  I put my hands on either side of his face. “I’m finding out that the best things often are.”

  EPILOGUE

  Watching the woman I’d been in love with for the last eight years moving toward me across the upscale Manhattan bar, with her eyes only for me, provided me a thrill that I’d never get used to. I absolutely loved the seductive way her hips swayed while her pencil skirt and heels made me want to throw her over my shoulder and take her some place private. We’d only been apart for five days while she made a short trip to Raleigh and then took care of selling her condo up here in New York City, but it felt like forever.

  “Hi,” she greeted in that breathless little way that did a number on a man’s senses.

  “Hi, yourself.” I kissed her fully and smiled internally when she gave the little sigh of pleasure I adored so much. I’d have lipstick on me for the effort, but since her full lips were the sexiest thing on the planet, it was well worth the sacrifice.

  “How did the closing on your condo go?” I was chomping at the bit to get her back to my hotel room but needed to stall in order to give Haylee and Catherine some time to set up.

  “All right, but I missed you a lot.”

  My heart felt like it would explode out of my chest. I’d never get used to hearing her say those words and how they made me feel. “The sentiment is quite mutual. How was Raleigh?” Sasha had insisted on going by herself to visit her birth mother’s gravesite. Watching her be brave alone was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. But it was also a testament to how far I’d come in working out my issues about wanting to fix everything. I’d both given her the space she needed and hadn’t pushed her to talk about it directly afterward.

  Her hand took mine. “It was difficult, but I needed to do it.” She took a deep breath with tears in her eyes. “I was thinking the next time, maybe you could come with me?”

  “I’d be honored.” I cleared my emotion-clogged voice. She was so much stronger than she’d ever give herself credit for. Knowing she needed a change of subject I asked, “Do you think you’ll miss living up here in New York?”

  She smiled appreciatively. “I’ll miss seeing my friends, but I’ll travel up here every so often. North Carolina feels more like home anyhow. Now the only thing left is to look for a place down in Charlotte.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. “You know you can stay with me.”

  “I love your place, but I need my own office and a space that I can put some of my things.”

  She’d been transitioning into her new role over the last few months and spending half her time in the Charlotte office, but I couldn’t wait for her to move down permanently. “I like you staying with me.”

  “Then ask me something,” she challenged.

  I grinned. Oh, I was going to ask her something, but not right now and not what was on her mind. “Ask you what?” I decided to play dumb.

  She blew out a breath, looking nervous. “Do you want to move in together? We could get a bigger place, which I know sounds greedy considering I’m coming from a one-bedroom condo, but we could get something a little more his and hers. I’m not pushing too fast, am I?”

  It was ironic that she was worried about moving too quickly when she was the one who normally panicked. It was also amusing that on the same night I was about to propose, she was asking me to move in with her. My beautiful, impatient, overanalyzing girl.

  “Well, it’s a big step,” I hedged and then quickly reassured her when I saw the hurt flash in her eyes. “Sorry, bad joke. Of course I do. These five days apart have been torture.”

  She instantly smiled and leaned over, whispering in my ear, “How about we get out of here and celebrate?”

  “Okay. Let me finish my drink.” I needed to buy some more time. I shot a text to Haylee to make it quick as we’d be leaving the bar in fifteen minutes.

  Ten minutes later, Sasha narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you are nursing your drink?”

  “Impatient, are we?”

  I watched while she snagged my martini glass and threw back the rest of the contents. I could add that to the long list of ways she turned me on.

  “Yes, I am.” She ran her hand over my bicep and leaned in for another kiss.

  This woman was absolutely perfect for me. “Let me pay the tab, and then we’ll go.”

  She smiled with satisfaction, and I prayed the waitress would take her time. Hoping to kill a few more minutes, I went to the men’s room and sent another message, this time to Josh to call me and pretend it was work related. I still needed to stall.

  I went to meet her in front, frowning on cue at the call coming through. “Hey, Josh. Um, no, we were about to head back to the hotel.” I held up a finger for her to wait a moment. Being the professional woman she was, she pinched me on the butt and gave me some space to take the call from our boss.

  “Yeah, no problem. I can get those to you. Huh, that is some interesting news.” I was having a hard time keeping a straight face while Josh read me a book for his baby girl.

  “Then the cow went moo and the horse went neigh—” Josh used a voice that I’d never heard before. Fatherhood definitely agreed with him.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “She went outside. Thanks, man. I owe you.”

  “No problem. Are you ready?”

  I patted the box in my pants pocket and smiled. “I am. Oh, your wife’s text came through. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good and Brian? Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, and give my goddaughter a kiss from me.” Josh had been my best friend since we were five years old. It felt only right that he would be the first one to congratulate us.

  ***

  “I thought we’d never get here,” Sasha said, taking my hand in the elevator. A hum reverberated through my entire body in anticipation of what I was about to ask her.

  Opening the door to the hotel suite, I let her go first and followed, pleased with what her friends had managed to do. Rose petals covered the king-sized bed, candles
adorned every surface, and champagne on ice was by the small bar.

  She faced me, smiling. “Wow, you went all out. This is very romantic.”

  Funny how she didn’t assume this was a proposal at all. I leaned down and kissed her breathless, taking my time with her delectable lips.

  “I’m ready to ask you something now, but only if you promise not to answer me for thirty minutes. Do you think you can be patient?”

  She gave me the little “mm-hmm” that made me smile.

  I dropped to one knee and watched her eyes register surprise.

  “Sasha Jayne Brooks. You’re my best friend and I fall in love with you more every day. You challenge me in all the right ways and make me incredibly happy. Would you do the honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Oh, my God,” was her response.

  I took the box from my pants pocket and opened it. I hoped she liked the vintage solitaire diamond that her girlfriends had helped me pick out.

  “Wait, I don’t get to answer you for how long?” Her eyes were wide and her beautiful face confused.

  “Thirty minutes, starting now,” I said, putting the ring on the nightstand and pointing toward the alarm clock. I tugged her hand and pulled her toward the bed, kissing her neck. I took immense enjoyment from the fact that her eyes kept flicking back to the ring.

  “Why are you making me wait?” The frustration was evident in her voice.

  “Because I’ve received a hundred percent yes rate thus far when I talk you into things using sex.”

  She shook her head, trying not to laugh while looking annoyed. “Can I ask questions, though?”

  The motivation behind delaying her answer to my question was for this reason. I knew her mind was processing the negative before the positive. That she’d need to voice her doubts and work through her anxiety before coming to what was in her heart. “Of course, but only if you get naked.”

  She rolled her eyes playfully at my bargaining methods but complied. “What about kids?”

  The sight of her beautiful body on display had me almost distracted from her question. But it was an important one, so I made sure I locked my eyes on hers. “I could take them or leave them. Honestly. We could even adopt if you wanted to.”